How Cold Should Your Condenser Be For Moonshine?

Contents

1 What temp should moonshine condenser water be?
- - 1.0.1 What temperature should condenser be for alcohol?
2 How cold should condenser water be?
- 2.1 What is a typical condensing temperature?
3 How do you choose condensing temperature?
- - 3.0.1 What happens if condenser water temperature is too high?
  - 3.0.2 Should a condenser be hot or cold?
- 3.1 Should a condenser be hot?
  - 3.1.1 What is the temperature of condenser water in Celsius?
4 What is a low condenser temperature?
- 4.1 What is condenser small temperature?
- 4.2 What causes low condenser temperature?
5 What temperature should condensing water return be?
6 What is a reasonable condensing temperature for a water cooled condenser?

What temp should moonshine condenser water be?

Home Distiller Other discussions for folks new to the wonderful craft of home distilling. Moderator: Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Fri May 10, 2013 4:19 am by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 4:35 am If I remember, the temperature in the condenser doesn’t need to be ice cold, just colder than the boiling point of the condensate right? Last night I was struggling to keep the condenser water cool.

I have a stainless milk can pot still and I recirculate water from a 5 gallon bucket.
Usually I stock up on ice and just dump cubes in as it heats up.
But yesterday I ran out of ice and was constantly replacing the water in the bucket when it got too hot.
About every 10-15 minutes.
Actually, I had two buckets and I would transfer the pump from one to the other.

I’m in a tropical zone, so the tap water is not cold, just cool. SO I didn’t really notice a change in collection even when the water was “bathwater warm” so I got to wondering just how cold that water has to be and if there are any advantages to having the condenser really cold.

Or does it not matter? Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 am Location: where the buffalo roam, and the deer & antelope play by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:00 am Heat transfer is proportional to the mass flow times the temperature differential of the coolant. And the energy transferred is the integration of heat transfer (rate) over time.

In other words, the water temperature difference through the condenser (inlet to outlet) affects the rate at which heat can be removed from the vapor (to condense it). And the flowate of the water (liters per minute) also affects the heat transfer. And sum of heat tranfer is collected (or disposed) somewhere, like in the reservoir.

So, your water barrel will warm up and as it does, the efficiency of heat removal from the vapor will diminish.
You’ve added ice to offset the energy accumulation and keep your condenser working.
A bigger reservoir will help as well.
But “waste energy” is a product of our hobby because you add energy to boil the wash to create the change of state.

Perhaps you could use the waste energy pre-heat another boiler charge or even your bath water. In summary, to answer your question.the water temperature differential through the condenser is important. And the temperature gradient through the condenser affects how rapidly the vapor condenses and too high of water flowrate with a minimum temperature gradient can cause “shock cooling” or a rapid vapor collapse (huffing).

I try to adjust the water flow in my (shotgun) product condenser so the discharge temperature is warm to the touch. If it feels like the hot water from your tap, it is close to 140*F, and I like to keep it between 120-140*F. With the water mains temperature around 60-70*F year round here, the temperature potential in the product collection vessel will be close to that temperature.

So, the water temperature differential through the product condenser is 65*F to 125*F approximately and the flowrate is adjusted to maintain that differential given the heat input into the boiler. Of note, the flow rate is usually a very small trickle to meet my needs with the maximum heat input being about 2.2kW. Posts: Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 1:30 am Location: NOLA by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:26 am Too warm is when vapor blows by without condensing. When people tell me I’ll regret that in the morning, I sleep till noon. Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 am Location: where the buffalo roam, and the deer & antelope play by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:39 am wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:26 am Too warm is when vapor blows by without condensing.

Yep. That’d be the “puffing” part of “huffing & puffing”.
It’s when the boiler overpowers the product condenser power, even when the water flowrate is the maximum you can push.
Solution: turn the boiler heat down.
Ss Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2020 1:45 pm by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 8:34 am In a very simplistic way, the water coming out of the product condenser must not be “steaming” but hot is fine, the distillate should be at “room” temperature.

Site Donor Posts: Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 1:30 am Location: NOLA by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 8:44 am wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:39 am wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:26 am Too warm is when vapor blows by without condensing. Yep. That’d be the “puffing” part of “huffing & puffing”.

It’s when the boiler overpowers the product condenser power, even when the water flowrate is the maximum you can push. Solution: turn the boiler heat down. ss Stated with precision my friend When people tell me I’ll regret that in the morning, I sleep till noon. Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Fri May 10, 2013 4:19 am by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 9:08 am Thank you all! Actually the distillate was warm to the touch.

I didn’t measure the temps (I will next time) but considering ambient was probably high 80’s low 90’s and humidity was also in the high 80’s if not the 90’s, I would guess it was at or around 100 or 110 F This could also be why I was getting such high numbers on the alcohol.

It started at about 85% and by the time it had gone down to about 25% I was at a little over a gallon of distillate.
My final measurement of the entire batch (this was a stripping run) was 50% but I’m going to test it again now that it’s cooled to room temp overnight.
I’ll bet it’s lower.
Trainee Posts: Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:25 pm Location: Canada by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 10:05 am It’s OK if water coming from condenser has temperature up to 150F.

Distillate temperature should be below 100 F. If it’s higher you either need to re-do your condenser or decrease a heating power. Distiller Posts: Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:06 pm by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 12:01 pm I bet you’re paying more to buy or make that ice so you can recirculate from your tiny bucket than you would just using tap water.

After all, ice is water you pay for to begin with.
Then you pay for electricity to achieve the phase change from water to ice.
Then the energy to subcool the ice, and keep it on hand.
If you buy ice you’re just paying someone else to do all that AND make a profit.
You are effectively just using your freezer to chill your still, in a very inefficient way.

I priced it out, and just pricing the electricity to freeze water it costs me double what it would cost to “waste” the larger volume of water simply run through the condenser from the tap. And that assumes I don’t have any use for warm water (cleaning up, mashing, cleaning the deck/driveway/house/car/boat/rv/etc, fill a barrel in the greenhouse to keep it from freezing in January, just leave it out for the outside cats to get a nice warm nap on) or just water after it cools (garden, lawn, trees, houseplants, refilling the seltzer kegs, top up the koi pond/pool/hot tub, jesus we use water everywhere and most of it doesn’t care if it’s been warmed up and cooled down).

I do recirculate sometimes for other reasons. But it’s just as easy to use appropriately large reservoirs as it is to try to stay on top of using ice in a small one or to use a radiator to keep a small reservoir cool (well, cool enough, it’ll still be warm in the tropics). You only pay for an IBC tote or radiator once, you pay for ice every run, and it doesn’t take long to break even since both totes and radiators are available at scrap prices.

Of course you’ll never break even if like me you have to try every single possible solution. But hey, that’s half the fun to me. Site Donor Posts: Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:58 am Location: The Milky Way by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 1:26 pm I haven’t implemented a pre-heater yet but that sounds like the most efficient use of the power and cooling resources for most home scenarios not to mention time spent which it most dear from this side.

I do use a valve on the output of my product condenser (not on the input) to set the flow such that I have a temp gradient along the length of the liebig.
This ends up being quite slow water flow and the water exiting the PC is steaming and quite hot.
Distillate is also pretty warm so I might back it down a little.

On a strip run I’ll need to increase the water flow as ETOH is depleted and ABV out of the PC drops – less so on a spirit run but I stop pretty soon after i’m into tails for most spirit runs. I run this with a fountain style water pump in a 5g bucket in the sink with tap water refilling as needed and hot water going down the drain – oh well.

Not sure how much water it actually uses but not “tons”. My bill hasn’t increased significantly even when running often. If I had a large reservoir set up I’d use that but it’s not been an issue so far but i’ve got a supply and floor drain in the cellar – new house might be different. Is using tap water as your supply feasible or as others suggested a larger reservoir? Cheers! -jonny ———— i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred ———— Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Fri May 10, 2013 4:19 am by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:49 pm As usual, you guys are the best.

For the times I run the still, maybe once every other month, the ice is just fine. If I was looking to save money I certainly wouldn’t be running a still, lol. If you see how long it took me to find time to actually make the run. I think the wash sat in my fridge for over a month before I was able to finally get to it.

Living in a large metropolitan area, there is no way I’m going to have space to do all those cool things you guys can. I have to make do with ice and a bucket. I do use tap water in the bucket, but I get what you guys mean, just to run the tap into the condenser and let it spill out into the backyard or whatever.

that might work too but it would be an awful lot of water. I usually go through 4 or 5 bags of ice which is about 8 bucks worth, about a hundred pounds. Most folks in my area have dedicated ice makers (mini versions of what you see in hotels) that can crank out 30-40 pounds of ice a day and I’ve never thought to get one until now.

It’s unfortunate, but with all the restaurants goiong out of business there are icemakers that cost thousands of dollars on CL right now for 200-300 bucks.
Some of those can make hundreds of pounds of ice in no time flat.
I might spring for one.
So let me see if I’ve “condensed” (see what I did there?) the knowledge from you guys.

Condenser water doesn’t have to be cold or even cool to the touch as long as it’s under 150 at the top (exit) of the condenser. Distillate can be warm as long as it’s not 100F or more. Making my water ice cold is a waste of time and money for absolutely no gain in the quality of the product. Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Fri May 10, 2013 4:19 am by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 4:53 pm Pretty much describes what was going on. Thanks. Site Donor Posts: Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 3:58 pm by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 4:57 pm I measure the efficiency of my condensers by comparing input water temp, distillate temp and output water temp. Distillate temp should be close or equal to input water temp; output water temp determines the flow rate.

I like to keep the temp under 160f otherwise my still room turns into a jungle.
For clarity, I use a municipal water supply, no recirc.
Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:42 am Location: New Zealand by » Mon Oct 05, 2020 10:26 pm The hot water outlet hose tail from any Liebig should be at the highest point of the water jacket to make use of the full length of the jacket.

If it isn’t, the designer has been copying poor design seen on the web and has disregarded High School physics lessons. Hose tails should point towards the ground so that the hoses don’t tend to kink, which is a PITA for everyone who forgets that and copies what they see on the internet. Posts: Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:29 am Location: middle of nowhere, turn right, 4 miles on the left by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 10:49 am I’m having a strange issue with puffing at the very beginning of distillate collection, while at the same time i’m getting drips of distillate that are cold. Posts: Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:58 am Location: The Milky Way by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:00 am Do you have a valve on your coolant output on the liebig? Can you slow down the water flow so that the liebig has a temp gradient along it’s length from cool (at the product end) to hot (at the vapor end)? Cheers, jonny ———— i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred ———— Site Donor Posts: Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:29 am Location: middle of nowhere, turn right, 4 miles on the left by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:20 am nope. i simply have a pump that recycles the water which stays pretty cool til it gets pretty hot (sorry for the technical language – I spent too many years in college). Posts: Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:58 am Location: The Milky Way by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:45 am It doesn’t do anything to my fountain style pump and the huffing is probably due to too quick of a cooling at the vapor inlet causing the vapor to collapse quickly and making a vacuum thus drawing air up into the condenser.

I also added a little bit of slightly coiled copper wire and copper mesh at the PC output which helped. Setting coolant flow so there is a temp gradient along the liebig works well for efficiency too. Cheers! -jonny ———— i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred ———— Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Fri May 10, 2013 4:19 am by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:34 pm As someone that’s been making beer, cider and mead for about 30 years now, I know that hobbyists have a tendency to want to complicate things, but it takes a while to figure out what is just folks making things needlessly complicated or good practices.

I’m very new to distilling with less than 20 runs (probably more like 10 or 12) under my belt and I don’t yet know what’s the “this is way we’ve always done it and don’t you dare question it” part of distilling or just good advice from people who’ve learned through trial and error.

Like for example.
In mead making it used to be “common knowledge” that acid needed to be added to the must and every mead book in the 70’s (The Complete Meadmaker, for one) had in the instructions to add acid.
Well guess what? A honey must is already very acidic and when someone finally decided to measure the pH they found the opposite was often needed.

Who knows how many hobbyists were turned off from the hobby because they wasted big bucks on expensive honey and couldn’t get a nice product because the yeast was fighting to stay alive? But I gotta say, the explanations of the heat situation here have been awesome.

I noticed that at room temperature, the stripped product does have a distinct odor of some impurities.
WAY cleaner than any honey shine I’ve made but it’s there.
I will do the spirit ruin this weekend and I hope to end up with at least half a gallon or so of really nice and clean sugar shine, then I’ll make it into a tasty and VERY dangerous applied pie shine.

You might be interested: How Does A Still Work Moonshine?

Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:48 am Location: Northern Victoria, Australia by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:24 pm wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:20 am nope. i simply have a pump that recycles the water which stays pretty cool til it gets pretty hot (sorry for the technical language – I spent too many years in college).

would putting a valve on the output do bad things to the pump? A valve on the output may or may not be bad for the pump. But you could (ALSO?) try a by-pass valve on the pump output so if you have too much water flow you can direct some of it back to the pump input vessel, reducing the flow to the condenser.

Geoff The Baker Trainee Posts: Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:25 pm Location: Canada by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:30 pm wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:45 am It doesn’t do anything to my fountain style pump and the huffing is probably due to too quick of a cooling at the vapor inlet causing the vapor to collapse quickly and making a vacuum thus drawing air up into the condenser. Posts: Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2014 11:59 am Location: East Coast by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:35 pm wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:49 pm Living in a large metropolitan area, there is no way I’m going to have space to do all those cool things you guys can. I have to make do with ice and a bucket.

Do you have a bathtub ? That’s a big volume of water and if no one needs a bath before your next run, well, you can reuse it again and again.
I drank fifty pounds of feed-store corn ’till my clothes were ratty and torn Master of Distillation Posts: Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:48 am Location: Northern Victoria, Australia by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:36 pm wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:35 pm wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:49 pm Living in a large metropolitan area, there is no way I’m going to have space to do all those cool things you guys can.

I have to make do with ice and a bucket. Do you have a bathtub ? That’s a big volume of water and if no one needs a bath before your next run, well, you can reuse it again and again. Might even end up warm enough to take a bath. Geoff The Baker Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Fri May 10, 2013 4:19 am by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:15 pm wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:35 pm wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:49 pm Living in a large metropolitan area, there is no way I’m going to have space to do all those cool things you guys can.

I have to make do with ice and a bucket.
Do you have a bathtub ? That’s a big volume of water and if no one needs a bath before your next run, well, you can reuse it again and again.
Ha! Yes I do have one on the second floor.
That’s not happening.
Even if it was close enough, apparently, in 1938 when my house was built, there weren’t any people 6’2” tall because that thing is only good if you’re 5’6” and skinny as a rail.

LOL Site Donor Posts: Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:58 am Location: The Milky Way by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:54 pm wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:30 pm wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:45 am It doesn’t do anything to my fountain style pump and the huffing is probably due to too quick of a cooling at the vapor inlet causing the vapor to collapse quickly and making a vacuum thus drawing air up into the condenser.

I also added a little bit of slightly coiled copper wire and copper mesh at the PC output which helped.
What are your liebeg inner/outer diameters.
You should have water layer as thin as possible for better condenser efficiency.
Like 1/2″ in 3/4″, /3/4″ in 1″ etc Having, say, 3/4″ in 2″ is not good.
Mine is 3/4 over 1/2 and 48″ long.

No complaints. Cheers! -jonny ———— i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred ———— Global moderator Posts: Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 2:23 am Location: Fraser Coast QLD Aussie by » Wed Oct 07, 2020 8:52 pm Sorry about the voice over : Home Distiller

What temperature should condenser be for alcohol?

What temperature do I run my still at? Different stills run at different temperatures, and if in doubt you should check with the manufacturer/supplier of your particular brand of still. However majority of stills are designed to run similarly. The temperature that ethyl alcohol boils off at is 78C-82C and therefore if your still has a temperature gauge in the top of the condenser (usually in a rubber bung situated at the top) it should run between 78C-82C (with 78C being ideal).

If your still has a water outlet thermometer to gauge the temperature, it usually sits between 50C-65C (dependant on the brand of still).
For an Essencia Express Condenser (or Essencia water outlet thermometer used with any still) the temperature is 50C-55C.
With a Turbo 500 Condenser, the water outlet temperature should sit between 55C-65C (with 60C being the ideal).

Post navigation : What temperature do I run my still at?

How cold should condenser water be?

Troubleshooting Reciprocating Liquid Chillers (part 2) Editor’s Note: This series of articles is excerpted, with permission, from the SK26-02 Service Training Package produced by Carrier Corp., Syracuse, NY. Last month ( ) we discussed how to perform an operational check of a chiller.

In this second segment, we examine what measurements to take, how to record them on the log sheet and how to analyze the data once it has been gathered.
Now that we’ve done an operational check of the chiller, it’s time to begin taking readings, recording them on a log sheet, and discussing each of the entries, starting first with the cooler section.

Chilled Water Temperature Entering the Cooler: Prior to start-up, and during initial operation, this temperature will be above the design inlet temperature. Under stabilized conditions, this temperature should drop steadily until it reaches about 54F.

Read and record the entering water temperature to the cooler, Chilled Water Temperature Leaving the Cooler: We also need to record the chilled water temperature leaving the cooler, After the chiller is placed in operation, this temperature should be within plus or minus 1F of the design leaving water temperature.

Design leaving water temperature at full load is typically 44F. Under extreme light load operation, this temperature could drop below design leaving temperature. However, a control sensing the water temperature (low water temperature cutout-recycle switch) will shut the machine down.

It’s not economical, or good operating practice, to operate a chiller under extreme light load conditions, if other means, such as outside air, will accomplish the cooling job.
In our example, the reading for the design leaving water temperature is 46F Chilled Water Delta T ( Delta -T): Now we can determine the chilled water Delta T ( Delta -T), which is the difference between the entering and leaving chilled water temperatures.

Chilled water Delta T provides an indication of system capacity. If it’s above or below the design Delta T, a problem may exist. In our example, the chilled water Delta T is: 54 – 46 = 8F Delta -T Cooler Saturated Refrigerant Temperature: A space is provided on the log sheet to record the cooler saturated refrigerant temperature,

Under maximum heat load conditions, with the machine operating at design, this temperature should be at the design temperature. Under reduced heat load operation, when the compressor is running unloaded, this temperature will be above design. Under no circumstances, even at full load operation, should this temperature be allowed to drop below the design temperature, which is typically a few degrees above 32F.

If the cooler saturated refrigerant temperature is at 32F or lower, then the possibility of a freeze-up exists. If you cannot measure the actual cooler saturated refrigerant temperature, then the saturated temperature corresponding to the suction pressure may be used.

This temperature is required for determining the cooler leaving temperature difference.
Suction Pressure: Read and record the suction pressure,
Refer this pressure reading to a refrigerant pressure temperature chart.
Compare its correlating saturated temperature to the actual cooler saturated refrigerant temperature reading.

These two temperature readings should be the same or at least very close to each other. Cooler Leaving Temperature Difference (LTD): At this point we can calculate the cooler or Leaving Temperature Difference (LTD). This is the difference between leaving chilled water temperature and the saturated refrigerant temperature.

This difference is also known as the cooler approach. In our example, the LTD is: 46 – 40 = 6F LTD Suction Line Temperature: This measurement is taken on the suction line near the suction service valve. Use a digital temperature probe to take this reading or read it at the control panel display, if available.

Record this temperature. Superheat: The superheat can now be calculated by subtracting the saturated cooler refrigerant temperature from the actual suction line temperature. On some units, the superheat may be read directly at the control panel display.

In our example, the superheat is:51 – 40 = 11F SH Record the superheat,

Chilled Water Flow: Space on the log sheet is provided to record the entering and leaving water pressures, The same gauge should be used to take both readings to ensure accuracy. The difference between the two readings indicates pressure drop or Delta P (sP).

It then can be compared to the design pressure drop to determine the flow rate in gpm. If a greater than design pressure drop is recorded, there is a possibility that the tubes are either dirty, there is a restricted tube bundle, or the flow is too high. Pressure taps for taking pressure readings across the cooler should be as close to the inlet and outlet as possible and at the same height.

If there is any difference in the height of the gauges, a correction will have to be made. Now, let’s look at the condenser section. Condenser Section Water Temperature Entering the Condenser: This temperature should not exceed the design entering water temperature, and on most installations should not drop below 70F.

Entering condenser water temperature can be up to 95F, however, 85F is more typical.
If the entering water temperature drops too low, the condenser head pressure will not be high enough to supply refrigerant through the expansion valve.
Water Temperature Leaving the Condenser: This temperature will vary with the heat load and/or tonnage (capacity of the machine).

Under full heat load conditions, it should not exceed design. Under less than full heat load conditions, the temperature will be less than design. Condenser Water Delta T: Next, we will find the condenser water Delta -T. Do this by subtracting the entering condenser water temperature from the leaving condenser water temperature.

Condenser water Delta-T provides an indication of condenser heat rejection.
In our example, the condenser water Delta -T is: 95 – 85 = 10F Delta -T Condenser Pressure: Record the condenser pressure.
With design water temperature and water flow through the condenser tubes, and operating at full heat load conditions, this pressure should not exceed maximum design condenser pressure.

When condensing pressure is higher than design, it’s an indication that the chiller is operating inefficiently. An abnormally low condenser pressure may be an indication of a low refrigerant charge or an inefficient compressor. Condenser Saturated Refrigerant Temperature: On some chillers, the saturated condensing temperature may be read directly at the control panel.

If this is not the case, then the saturated condensing temperature is found by using a pressure/temperature chart to convert the condensing pressure to a temperature reading.
This temperature is required for determining the condenser leaving temperature difference.
Condenser Leaving Temperature Difference (LTD): The condenser leaving temperature difference, or LTD, is found by subtracting the leaving condenser water temperature from the saturated condenser temperature.

This also may be referred to as condenser approach.120 – 95 = 25F LTD Condenser Refrigerant Liquid Temperature: Measure and record the condenser refrigerant liquid temperature. If a thermometer well or control panel display is not provided to do this, strap a digital temperature probe on the bottom side of the liquid line.

Subcooling: The amount of subcooling can now be found by subtracting the liquid line temperature from the condenser saturated refrigerant temperature.120 – 105 = 15F SC Condenser Water Flow: Space is provided on the log sheet to record the entering and leaving water pressures.
The difference between the two readings, or Delta P, indicates a pressure drop of the water flow through the condenser tubes.

The same gauge should be used for both readings to insure accuracy. This pressure drop can be compared to the design pressure drop to determine flow rate in gpm, and if greater than design, there is the possibility that the tubes are either dirty, plugged or the flow is too high.

Pressure taps for taking pressure readings across the condenser should be as close to the inlet and outlet as possible and at the same height.
If there is any difference in the height of the gauges, a correction will have to be made.
Air Temperature Entering Condenser:Measure and record the outdoor ambient air temperature entering the condenser,

This is a very important factor on air-cooled condensers because it provides a reference to what the condenser saturated refrigerant temperature operating conditions should be. Air Temperature Leaving Condenser: For air cooled condensers, this measurement will be useful in determining temperature rise across the condenser coil.

The Delta -T can be determined by subtracting the condenser entering air temperature from the condenser leaving air temperature. The Delta -T provides an indication of the heat rejection by the condenser. Electrical Section Line Voltage: Measure the incoming supply voltage and record each leg-to-leg voltage (three readings) ; add the readings and divide by three to get an average.

The average should be within 10% of the chiller nameplate voltage rating. If any one line voltage reading is more than 2% from the average, then contact the electric utility for correction. This condition is called phase unbalance, and it should never be greater than 2%.

Motor Amperage: Using a clamp-on ammeter, record the chiller’s total motor amperage, Make sure the unit has stabilized first. It should operate at least 30 minutes before taking ampere readings. Check each power lead of the chiller, then total and average the readings. The individual amperage readings should be within 10% of the average amperage.

Also, the average amperage should not exceed the design maximum. Compressor Oil Level: On most semi-hermetic compressors, either a sight glass or bulls-eye is provided in the oil sump to determine the oil level. The oil level should be within the sight glass.

What is a typical condensing temperature?

In residential air conditioners an evaporator refrigerant temperature of 45°F (280°K) is common. Assuming a peak summer outdoor temperature of 95°F (308°K) and a 25°F temperature difference between the condensing and heat sink, yields a typical condensing temperature of 120°F (322°K).

How do you choose condensing temperature?

A chiller is a complex system, but the basic components are the compressor, thermostatic expansion valve, condenser, and evaporator. But you What is the meaning of condensation and evaporation in the recirculating chiller? When selecting a recirculating water chiller, several factors should be considered that could affect cooling capacity.

These factors include chiller temperature, ambient air temperature or facility water temperature, evaporation temperature, condensation temperature, and chiller maintenance. The condenser and evaporator are heat exchangers that transfer heat from one medium to another. In the case of an air-cooled condenser, an aluminum-finned copper tube liquid-to-air heat exchanger is typically used for rejecting heat from the hot refrigerant gas to the ambient air.

Condensation Temperature: The condensing temperature of the compressor system usually refers to the temperature at which the refrigerant condenses in the condenser. The vapor pressure of the refrigerant corresponding to the temperature is the condensing pressure. Evaporation temperature: Evaporation temperature is the temperature at which the refrigerant evaporates and boils in the evaporator, which corresponds to the evaporation pressure. Evaporation temperatures are generally 2-3 °C lower than the required water temperature. How are evaporation and condensation temperatures generally determined: Accordingly to the evaporating temperature and condensing temperature. such as air-cooled water chiller, the condensing temperature mainly depends on the ambient temperature, while the evaporating temperature depends on which field applies to, the evaporating temperature of the air-conditioning is higher, the refrigerating temperature is lower, and the freezing temperature is lower.

Even in some lowest temperature areas, the required evaporation temperature is lower. These parameters are not uniform, mainly depends on the actual application. Important reference data： In general, Water Cooling: Evaporation temperature = cold water outlet temperature – 5 °C (dry evaporator), if full liquid evaporator, then – 2 °C.

Condensation temperature = cooling water outlet temperature + 5 °C Air Cooling : Evaporation temperature = cooling water outlet temperature -5 ~ 10 °C, Condensation temperature = ambient temperature + 10 ~ 15 °C. Cold Storage: Evaporation Temperature = cold storage design temperature -5 ~ 10 °C. Influence on recirculating chiller : high superheat, low return pressure, exhaust pressure also decreases, pressure of liquid supply pipeline decreases, unit flow rate decreases. This cycle causes the storeroom to cool slowly, the machine to work continuously, wear and tear, and be inefficient.

Evaporation temperature regulation: the first thing we need to know is that the lower the evaporation pressure, the lower the evaporation temperature. Evaporative temperature control, in the actual operation, is to control the evaporative pressure, that is, adjust the pressure value of the low-pressure gauge, in the operation through adjusting the thermal expansion valve (or throttle valve) to adjust the low pressure.

If the expansion valve has a small opening, the evaporation temperature and the low pressure will decrease, and the cooling capacity will be reduced. The water chiller system including Water-cooled chillers and Air-cooled chillers. The water-cooled chillers use water to cool the environment around them, and air-cooled chillers use air. And these water chiller systems can have many different configurations.

However, both types have the same central parts, including a compressor, an evaporator, an expansion device, and a condenser. Main compressor types: Scroll, Centrifugal, and Screw. Whatever your chiller-related needs are, we can meet them and customize your system to accommodate your chiller and your facility’s.

Our expert will supply you with FREE technical support. Contact Lando Today!

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What happens if condenser water temperature is too high?

Cooling Tower and Condenser Water Design Part 3: Understanding Tonnage, Range, and Approach By Chad Edmondson Last time we talked about the impact that the wet bulb temperature has on cooling tower performance. In summary, it’s harder to evaporate water into air that’s already wet.

I.e. The higher the wet bulb, the harder a cooling tower has to work to evaporate enough water to maintain set points.) In this blog, we’re going to define what those set points are, how cooling towers are rated, and finally how these factors impact the cooling tower size and operation for a given application.

Like chillers, cooling towers are rated in terms of tonnage – specifically how many BTU/Hr they can disperse through the heat of vaporization. As we mentioned in, what is known as a “refrigeration ton” differs somewhat from what is known as a “cooling tower ton”.

A refrigeration ton is equal to 12,000 BTU/hr.
A cooling tower ton is 15,000 BTU/hour.
The extra 3000 BTUHs is carried over from the refrigeration cycle.
Remember that in, we learned that the refrigerant entering the compressor during the refrigerant cycle carries with it the BTUs transferred to it from the chilled water loop.

As it enters the compressor this refrigerant is in a low pressure/low temperature gaseous state. The compressor “pumps up” the refrigerant into a high pressure/high temperature state. This process requires energy, basically adding (on average) 3,000 BTU/hr of compressor heat to cooling tower load.

95°F/85°F @ 78°F wet bulb10°F Range and 7°F Approach3 GPM per Cooling Tower Ton

This means that the operating parameters at which cooling towers are rated are based 3 GPM of condenser water entering the cooling tower at 95°F and leaving the cooling tower at 85°F under 78°F degree wet bulb conditions. It’s a snapshot of a common operating design condition, which puts all cooling towers on a comparable playing field.

It does not mean that these are the design conditions that you should use when selecting a cooling tower.
As we discussed in Part 2, it is important to use the design wet bulb conditions for your part of the country when making a cooling tower selection.
Range and Approach If you are still getting your bearings with cooling tower design terminology, you may wonder what the terms “approach” and “range” mean.

Approach is the temperature of the water leaving the cooling tower (in this case, 85°F nominal) minus the ambient web bulb temperature (78°F wet bulb) or 7°F. This value represents how close the cooling tower gets the water to the wet bulb temperature of the surrounding air.

The “range” is very simply the difference between the entering water temperature and leaving water temperature. Remember, ambient wet bulb is the lowest temperature under which evaporation can occur under a given set of conditions. Thus, cooling towers are sized based on the design wet bulb of a region – not the sensible (dry bulb) temperature.

How Range Impacts kW Just because cooling towers are rated at these particular conditions doesn’t mean they have to be sized to operate at these exact parameters. Cooling towers can and often are designed to operate at ranges that are higher or lower than 10 degrees.

But there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Increasing the range, say from 10° to 15° will reduce the GPM from 3 to 2 GPM per cooling tower ton which means less pump horsepower. However, if the entering water temperature is 100°F and the leaving water temperature is 85°F, that yields an average condensing water temperature of 92.5°F, versus an average 90°F if you designed it to operate at 95°F/85°F.

The higher the condensing water temperature is, the harder the chiller has to work, which increases kW consumption at the compressor. So, choosing the best operating range for your cooling tower means comparing kW consumption for both the pump(s) and the chiller under various scenarios.

There is no right answer, as the most efficient design depends how the rest of the system will be designed.
Also, the higher the approach, the smaller the cooling tower can be; the lower the approach, the larger the cooling tower will be.
So first cost budgets may also impact your decision.
Your JMP sales representative can help you work through the different scenarios so that you make the best decision for a given project.

But all cooling tower designs should be approached with a working knowledge of these basic principles. : Cooling Tower and Condenser Water Design Part 3: Understanding Tonnage, Range, and Approach

Should a condenser be hot or cold?

The Air Coming Out of my AC Condensing Unit is Lukewarm. Is that Good or Bad? – The Air Coming Out of my AC Condensing Unit is Lukewarm. Is that Good or Bad? Condensers The condenser is contained inside the unit outside your home. It works in harmony with the compressor contained within the housing. The compressor applies pressure to a gaseous refrigerant and transforms it into a hot liquid. This refrigerant then passes into the condenser.

The hot liquid travels through the coils of the condenser and eventually the heat passes through the fins of the unit.
When the liquid arrives at the end of the coil, it is cooler and still under pressure.
The liquid leaves the condenser thru a valve and is turned into a mist and then into a gaseous state as it travels into the evaporator coil.

The evaporator coil then cools the gas even more and it is propelled into the ducts of your home by the use of a fan. Good or Bad? Well, it’s not good. Air coming from the condensing unit should be hot from the heat removed from your home. Some of the causes for lukewarm air include refrigerant leaks, air flow moving too fast across the cooling coil, insulation may be missing from the duct system, and ducts may be routed through a hot space.

Take a look at the condenser coil. If this coil is dirty, then the refrigerant being passed through it will not be able to release heat. Check your air filter also. Professional Maintenance The most important thing you can do for your home AC unit is to keep it maintained on a regular basis. Calling a technician can prevent future breakdowns during the summer, discover potential problems before they happen, and ultimately reduce your expenditure over the life of the unit.

“An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Don Johnson is the President of Freedom Heating and Cooling in Birmingham, Alabama which offers home owners tools including: ” 9 Things to Check Before Calling for Service on Your Air Conditioner or Furnace”, a resource to help home owners save on HVAC problems ” The Home Owner’s Guide to Hiring a Heating and Air Conditioning Company “, a quick read on how to guarantee you never suffer by hiring the wrong contractor.

Should a condenser be hot?

If the condenser becomes too hot, it will not be able to convert the refrigerant into cooled liquid form required to produce cold air. The AC condenser fan is designed to keep the condenser cool so that it can continue to efficiently convert the gas into liquid, and keep the AC system operating correctly.

What is the temperature of condenser water in Celsius?

Chiller Condensers Explained Condensers for water cooled chillers. In this article we are going to be looking at the condenser of a chiller. The condenser is located between the compressor and the expansion valve. Hot, high pressure refrigerant vapour enters the condenser and liquid refrigerant exits the condenser.

Scroll to the bottom to watch the YouTube tutorial on chiller condensers The condenser usually isn’t insulated. The heat within the condenser is unwanted and is just going to be rejected out to atmosphere. So if it looses some heat in the plant room, it doesn’t really matter in most instances. However, if the plant room is being cooled by refrigeration as well, then it makes perfect sense to insulate this and reject all the heat out into the building, but if the plant room is just being cooled by outside ambient air, then it doesn’t matter.

The condenser is collecting all the unwanted heat from the building and transferring it over into the condenser water loop where it will be rejected from the building via the cooling tower. The unwanted heat of the building enters the evaporator and the refrigerant takes this to the compressor to pack it tightly together. The condenser water is pumped up to the cooling tower. The cooling tower is usually located on the roof and it rejects that heat from the condenser water and into the ambient air, thus the condenser water cools down and the atmospheric air warms up. Once the condenser water has cooled down, it returns then at a much cooler temperature ready to pick up more heat from the condenser again. Under the shell of the condenser we have multiple tubes inside. These run from one end to the other. Depending on the design the condenser water will either flow straight through all the tubes or it will flow in through half of them and then do a U turn and come back out the same end.

This is to increase efficiency and reduce the size. The tubes contain the condenser water. On the outside of the tubes is the refrigerant which is coming from the compressor. The two fluids are always separated by the tube wall. They’re completely isolated from each other. The condenser water is coming from the cooling tower, into the condenser via the inlet on the “water box” (The end cover).

The water box section is removable is taken off for cleaning of the tubes. The condenser water flows through the tubes to the very end, hits the other water box at the end, does a 180 degree turn, comes back through the tubes and back out the first water box.

There’s a baffle between the inlet and outlet on the first water box.
This is just there to separate and divert the flow into the correct tubes.
Hot compressed refrigerant is going to come out of the compressor and start to fill this void within the condenser.
The hot refrigerant vapour will fill the space between the tubes containing the condenser water.

As the hot refrigerant comes into contact with the cooler surface of the condenser tubes, the refrigerant is going to condense into a liquid on the tubes surface. As it does so the heat will transfer through the tube wall and into the refrigerant. The condenser water runs through the condenser, hits the end water box, does a 180 degree turn and comes back through, still picking up the last heat it can to the maximum efficiency.

Meanwhile the liquid refrigerant collects as a liquid at the bottom of the condenser. It will leave here through the bottom and flows into the expansion valve. The heated condenser water will now head off to the cooling tower. When the refrigerant exits the compressor and heads down into the condenser, it needs to be at a much higher temperature than the return (incoming) condenser water that’s coming back from the cooling tower.

The condenser water enters at around 27 ° C (81 ° F) so the refrigerant needs to be a greater temperature than this. If the refrigerant is the same temperature as this return condenser water then the chiller will not be able to reject any heat that’s been picked up in the building, and so the building will be unable to cool down. Above you can see two thermal images of a chiller. The left image in the discharge line coming out of the compressor, the centrifugal compressor is on the top and the hot compressed refrigerant is exiting via the discharge line, into the condenser. You can see that it’s going to be around 55 degrees celsius.

The right thermal image, shows the inlet and outlet of the condenser of the chiller. You can see that the water is coming back from the cooling tower at around 17.6 degrees Celsius and it’s exiting at 25.9 degrees Celsius to head back up to the cooling tower. You should have noticed that these figures are a slightly different temperature range than in the schematic which we were looking at earlier.

That’s just because the schematic is showing design figures at a high loading, whereas this is actual figures from a lower loading. There will always be a difference between design and actual. That depends on the cooling load on the chiller and the outside ambient temperature.

Now, with this type of cooling tower where the condenser water enters in and then is sprayed through the cooling tower to get rid of that heat to reject and dissipate it into the atmosphere this is an open system whereas this loop here is a closed system this loop here is an open system so the water is sprayed and air and dirt etc.

can get into this system. And what comes into this system gets sent down into the condenser. There are two types of cooling towers used, open circuit and closed circuits. Open circuits are the most common, they spray the hot condenser water into the ambient air which effectivly cools the water down using the latent heat of evaporation.

This presents a problem though, because we get an effect known as fouling occurring on the inside of the condenser water pipework and the condenser heat exchanger.
Dirt and other particles will collect on the surfaces of the pipes and heat exchanger and will form a layer of insulation.
This build-up is basically small deposits of salt, scale, dirt, mineral build-up and also bacterial growth.

As I said it insulates the pipe which reduces the chillers efficiency and cooling capacity. This can be treated with a rigorous chemical dosing regime. Unfortunately this by itself will not be enough to stop it, it will just be enough to reduce it or mitigate it. On the chiller discharge and liquid line we’re going to find two large valves. These can be shut and used to isolate all the refrigerant within the condenser. So if you need to take this apart the refrigerant can all be pumped and moved into the condenser and these can be sealed to keep all that refrigerant inside. DO NOT TOUCH THESE UNLESS AUTHORISED : Chiller Condensers Explained

What is a low condenser temperature?

Low condensing temperatures is simply allowing the saturated condensing temperatures to fall below the traditional 70° F (21°C) limit.

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What is condenser small temperature?

As noted above, “approach” is the term you’re looking for.good info in comments from KnewYork above. Increasing approach temperatures most often caused by fouling in condenser tubes.resulting in excess energy consumption / reduced energy efficiency.

Below is some additional rule of thumb info that might be helpful.
Excess Approach Condenser approach is the difference between liquid refrigerant temperature as measured on the liquid line, and leaving condenser water temperature.
Normal condenser approach is 0 to 3 degrees.
If condenser approach is 4 or more, it’s an indication your water cooled chiller has fouled tubes.

Evaporator approach can be used to evaluate the refrigerant charge. Take all readings with the water cooled chiller at full load. In a 1 pass evaporator, approach should be 10 to 14. In a 2 pass evaporator, approach should be 7 to 10. In a 3 pass evaporator, approach should be 3 to 6.

A higher than normal evaporator approach can indicate an undercharge. A lower than normal evaporator approach can indicate an overcharge. This is the calculated full load approach minus the target approach. Approach is the difference between the leaving condenser water temperature and the saturated condenser refrigerant temperature.

It is a measure of the heat transfer efficiency between the condenser water and the condenser refrigerant. As condenser tubes foul or division plate gaskets leak or tubes get blocked etc, the approach temperatures will increase. The program takes the actual approach temperature, factors it up to a full load approach by taking into account the % load, and then subtracts the target approach or what the approach should be with clean tubes at full load.

What causes low condenser temperature?

2.The relationship between condenser temperature and condenser pressure – The lower the condenser pressure (high pressure), the lower the condenser temperature; The higher the condenser pressure (high pressure), the higher the condenser temperature. Let’s take a brief look at the curve of condenser pressure versus condenser temperature for R410: From the graph can be seen very simple, condenser temperature and condenser pressure are proportional to change, condenser pressure and the temperature is corresponding.

Why condenser temperature is high?

Perhaps the single most important component inside of your air conditioning system is the compressor. The compressor circulates refrigerant throughout the system, and it consists of a motor used to increase the pressure of the refrigerant flowing back to the outdoor condenser unit from the evaporator coil located inside your home.

In the process of raising the refrigerant’s pressure, the compressor also increases its temperature. While a natural part of the process, this temperature increase can also lead to serious problems if the refrigerant becomes overheated. HVAC technicians gain valuable insight into the health of an air conditioner by measuring the discharge temperature of a compressor.

Discharge temperatures in excess of 275 degree Fahrenheit will wreak havoc on your system. Fortunately, once a technician has identified an excessive discharge problem, they can move on to nailing down the specific cause. This article will increase your awareness of air conditioner mechanics by discussing one of the most common causes of high discharge temperatures: an elevated condensing temperature.

Condensing Temperature In order for refrigerant to effectively absorb heat inside of the evaporator coil, its temperature must first be reduced, while still maintaining high pressure. The condenser carries out this important task. The condenser includes a copper tube embedded inside of thin aluminum fins, which help to disperse the heat of the refrigerant.

A fan circulates outdoor air across the fins. The refrigerant entering the condenser has a temperature much higher than that of the outdoor air, and this difference allows the heat exchange to occur with relative efficiency. Once the refrigerant’s temperature has dropped to a certain point, it changes back into a liquid.

The temperature at which this occurs goes by the name of the condensing temperature. Contrary to popular belief, condensing temperatures do not always remain constant. Instead, the condensing temperature changes in relation to the condensing pressure. As the condensing pressure rises, the compressor has to work extra hard to bring the refrigerant to the necessary temperature.

As a result, the discharge temperature may reach dangerous levels. Unless a technician addresses the underlying problem, the issue may only grow worse. Causes of High Condensing Temperature Now that you understand the link between condensing temperature and discharge temperature, you are probably curious about the things that can lead to excessive condensing temperature.

A wide variety of issues may be at play. Most of these issues have to do with things that reduce the efficiency of the condenser’s heat transfer. A dirty condenser coil represents one of the most common causes of high condensing temperatures because a dirty coil makes it harder to get rid of the refrigerant’s heat.

In order to overcome this added difficulty, the refrigerant must be more pressurized. And, as discussed above, higher pressures always come with higher temperatures – for both the refrigerant and the compressor. High condensing temperatures may also be the result of inefficient air movement.

Debris, shrubs, or other vegetation may have blocked airflow into the condensing unit.
Alternately, the condenser fan may have burned out.
This fan ensures consistent cooling by pulling air into – and then out of – the condensing unit.
Condensing temperatures also change in relation to the outdoor air temperature.

As ambient temperatures grow higher, the temperature difference between the refrigerant and the outdoor air shrinks. At a certain point, the system has to compensate by increasing the refrigerant’s pressure. Regular maintenance ensures that all parts of your air conditioning system continue operating within acceptable limits.

What is the condensing temperature of ammonia?

Density, specific heat, thermal conductivity, viscosity and Prandtls no. of liquid ammonia at saturation pressure. – At atmospheric pressure, ammonia, NH3, is present as a liquid at temperatures below -33.6 °C (-28.5 °F). At 10 bara, the condensation/boiling point is 25 °C (77 °F).


Temperature – t – ( o C)	Density – ρ – (kg/m 3 )	Specific Heat (Heat Capacity) – c p – (kJ/(kg K))	Thermal Conductivity – λ – (W/(m K))	Dynamic Viscosity – η – ( 10 -6 Pa s)	Prandtl’s no.
-50	698	4.45	0.547	317	1.98
	636	4.61	0.540	169	1.40
20	609	4.74	0.521	138	1.29
50	561	5.08	0.477	103	1.26

table>

Temperature – t – ( o F) Density – ρ – (lb/ft 3 ) Specific Heat (Heat Capacity) – c p – (Btu/(lb m o F)) Thermal Conductivity – λ – (Btu/(hr ft o F) Dynamic Viscosity – η – ( 10 -6 lb/(ft s)) Prandtl’s no. -58 43.4 1.06 0.32 213 1.98 32 39.7 1.10 0.31 113 1.40 68 38 1.13 0.3 93 1.29 122 35 1.21 0.28 69 1.26

What temperature should condenser water inlet be?

Scroll to the bottom to watch the YouTube tutorial on chiller condensers The condenser usually isn’t insulated. The heat within the condenser is unwanted and is just going to be rejected out to atmosphere. So if it looses some heat in the plant room, it doesn’t really matter in most instances. However, if the plant room is being cooled by refrigeration as well, then it makes perfect sense to insulate this and reject all the heat out into the building, but if the plant room is just being cooled by outside ambient air, then it doesn’t matter.

This is to increase efficiency and reduce the size. The tubes contain the condenser water. On the outside of the tubes is the refrigerant which is coming from the compressor. The two fluids are always separated by the tube wall. They’re completely isolated from each other. The condenser water is coming from the cooling tower, into the condenser via the inlet on the “water box” (The end cover).

There’s a baffle between the inlet and outlet on the first water box.
This is just there to separate and divert the flow into the correct tubes.
Hot compressed refrigerant is going to come out of the compressor and start to fill this void within the condenser.
The hot refrigerant vapour will fill the space between the tubes containing the condenser water.

Meanwhile the liquid refrigerant collects as a liquid at the bottom of the condenser. It will leave here through the bottom and flows into the expansion valve. The heated condenser water will now head off to the cooling tower. When the refrigerant exits the compressor and heads down into the condenser, it needs to be at a much higher temperature than the return (incoming) condenser water that’s coming back from the cooling tower.

The right thermal image, shows the inlet and outlet of the condenser of the chiller. You can see that the water is coming back from the cooling tower at around 17.6 degrees Celsius and it’s exiting at 25.9 degrees Celsius to head back up to the cooling tower. You should have noticed that these figures are a slightly different temperature range than in the schematic which we were looking at earlier.

Now, with this type of cooling tower where the condenser water enters in and then is sprayed through the cooling tower to get rid of that heat to reject and dissipate it into the atmosphere this is an open system whereas this loop here is a closed system this loop here is an open system so the water is sprayed and air and dirt etc.

This presents a problem though, because we get an effect known as fouling occurring on the inside of the condenser water pipework and the condenser heat exchanger. Dirt and other particles will collect on the surfaces of the pipes and heat exchanger and will form a layer of insulation. This build-up is basically small deposits of salt, scale, dirt, mineral build-up and also bacterial growth.

What temperature should condensing water return be?

How to optimize your system – In summary, for optimal operation, condensing boiler systems need the return water temperatures well below the dew point of the boiler exhaust (for natural gas, this is around 140°F in the Bay Area and 125°F in Denver), ideally around 80°F or lower,

Non-condensing boiler systems require the return water temperatures to be above the dew point of the boiler exhaust (hence the warm-up loops).
For other design considerations, such as system delta-T and sizing of terminal units, see ” Best Practices for Condensing Boilers ” (2018 ASHRAE Journal) and ” Principles of Condensing Boiler System Design ” (white paper by Group 14 Engineering).

If you have questions about optimizing your boiler system, contact us anytime, Like this post? Share it on LinkedIn, Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Jim Kelsey and Lyn Gomes for their technical edits and additional material for this article.

What is a reasonable condensing temperature for a water cooled condenser?

III.A Column Operating Pressure – The condensing temperature of the overhead vapor is reduced by lowering the column pressure. Very often, cooling water is used for condensation, and typically it has a temperature of ∼35 °C. Consequently, the condensing vapor must have a temperature of not less than ∼50 °C, and this sets the lower limit of the column operating pressure.

The boiling temperature of the bottoms product increases as the column pressure increases.
Typically, medium-pressure steam, which has a temperature of ∼200 °C, is used in the reboiler.
When this steam is used for heating, the bottoms product cannot have a boiling temperature greater than ∼185 °C which sets an upper limit on the column operating pressure.

Other heating and cooling arrangements can be employed, such as the use of a refrigerant in the condenser or higher pressure steam in the reboiler, but they increase costs and are avoided whenever possible. An additional consideration that often limits the maximum temperature of the bottoms product is polymerization and product degradation at high temperatures (and therefore at high pressures).

Furthermore, at lower pressures the relative volatility tends to increase so fewer theoretical stages are required, but at the same time the column diameter tends to increase. As a result of these factors the distillation pressure varies widely. Typically, the distillation pressure falls as the molecular weight of the feed increases.

Some typical operating pressures and temperatures are shown in Table II, TABLE II, Typical Operating Conditions in Distillation


Empty Cell	Pressure (bars), top	Temperature (°C)	Theoretical stages
Top	Base
Demethanizer	33	−94	−8	32
Deethanizer	28	−18	72	40
Ethane–ethylene splitter	21	−29	−45	80
Propane–propylene splitter	18	45	60	150
Isobutane- n -butane splitter	7	45	65	60
Deisohexanizer	1.6	55	120	60
Oxygen–nitrogen separation	1.1	−194	−178	70
Ethylbenzene–styrene separator	0.06	55	115	85
Crude oil distillation	0.03	93	410	—

Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0122274105001824